HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Ohio's 1812 Inn with Cigar-Scented Resident Spirits
313 E Broadway, Granville, OH 43023
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Overnight rates vary by room and season; check buxtoninn.com for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Historic inn spanning five historic structures; stairs throughout
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1812 · National Register of Historic Places · Ohio Frontier History · Historic Inn
Orrin Granger built the Buxton Inn in 1812 in the village of Granville, Ohio, at a time when the National Road was drawing westward migration across central Ohio. The original structure served as both tavern and post office, functioning as a critical stop on stagecoach routes heading toward Columbus and beyond.
Major James W. Dilley purchased the property in 1858, renaming it the Dilley House. In 1865, Major Horton Buxton acquired the inn, giving it the name it carries today. Buxton operated the inn until his death on June 15, 1902.
Following Buxton's death, Ethel 'Bonnie' Bounell — an opera and stage singer who had passed through Granville on the Midwest performing circuit — purchased the property and lived in Room 9 for the next 26 years. She ran the inn until her death in that same room in 1960. Bonnie was known for entertaining and is remembered locally as a committed socialite.
The inn fell into disrepair in the years after her death. In 1972, preservationists Orville and Audrey Orr purchased the property and undertook an extensive restoration, expanding the inn from three to twenty guest rooms. Subsequent ownership under Robert Schilling and his daughters added further improvements, bringing the current room count to 25 across five historic buildings.
The Buxton Inn's guest history is extensive: Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Yo-Yo Ma are among those documented as having stayed on the property. Local lore holds that the basement contains a tunnel associated with Underground Railroad activity, though this claim is unverified and rests on oral tradition rather than documented evidence.
The inn was placed on the market in 2024 at $5.85 million; the asking price was reduced to $2.795 million in February 2026, and in March 2026 the property was sold to New England Development Company, a Worthington-based hospitality firm. The inn continues operating year-round at 313 East Broadway in Granville with dining, bar service, and 25 guest rooms.
Sources
The Buxton Inn's haunted reputation is among the most documented in Ohio, with accounts spanning several decades and multiple independent sources.
Major Horton Buxton makes his presence known through scent: the smell of cigar smoke in the kitchen and main dining room, in areas where smoking has not been permitted for decades. Staff and guests describe detecting it without visible source, most often in the early morning hours before kitchen prep begins. His apparition — a figure in period clothing, top hat included — has been reported in the dining room and near the front entry.
Ethel 'Bonnie' Bounell died in Room 9 in 1960, the room she had occupied as her personal apartment during her 26 years running the inn. Her spirit is most often called 'The Lady in Blue' for the light blue dress she is described as wearing in apparitions. She is reported in and near Room 9 — sometimes seen, sometimes only present as the scent of gardenia perfume or the sense of being watched from the doorway. Her cat, named Major Buxton, reputedly appears in Room 9, felt rather than seen — a weight on the foot of the bed that moves in the manner of a sleeping cat.
Orrin Granger, the 1812 builder, is reported in the main house, particularly near the original sections of the building that predate the later expansions. His presence is described as benign and low-intensity.
The Buxton Inn has been featured in PBS and Ohio Magazine coverage, and the inn's staff offers what it calls Ghostory tours for interested guests.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The Buxton Inn spans 25 custom-furnished rooms across five historic buildings. Room 9, the former apartment of innkeeper Ethel Bonnie, is where her spirit is most often reported — along with the cat that shares her name with a former owner. Major Horton Buxton, whose cigar smoke is reportedly smelled in the kitchen and main dining room, purchased the inn in 1865. Ghostory tours are available for guests.
The Buxton Inn's dining room has served guests since the 1812 building's earliest years as a tavern. The original building functioned as a stagecoach stop and post office before its current incarnation. The cigar scent reported in the dining room is attributed to Major Buxton, who ran the inn from 1865 until his death in 1902.
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